Stimulus Spreading Work to Otherwise Barren Field of Architecture

"'Our federal practice is swamped,' says Gus Ardura, HDR Architecture’s national director for federal practice. 'State, local, and private are down, but we’ve been able to shift a lot of our focus over to federal.' The Omaha-based firm was selected to be part of the new $500 million Department of Homeland Security headquarters project at St. Elizabeth’s campus in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the firm is also using its existing indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts with agencies, such as the U.S. General Services Administration, to sweep up smaller renovation and energy-upgrade projects, according to Ardura."

The emphasis on "shovel-ready" has left some architects out, but others are finding some opportunities for work through the federal stimulus package.